Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Revelation Revealed: Part 5 - The Woman and the Dragon - Pastor Mike Taylor -
http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2017/12/revelation-revealed-part-5-woman-and.html "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads." (Revelation 12:1-3) In the last four parts of this study of Revelation, our Savior has revealed to us the history of the church leading down from Pentecost until the coming of our Lord for His Church and beyond. We have read and understand that from chapter 6 when Jesus opens the first seal while standing before the ABBA Father in heaven, with the saints of God that are seated on thrones and the angelic host giving God glory, each seal has given us a futurist view of the judgment that befalls the earth dwellers that are still on this planet and the judgment that rains down upon them. We have seen the first four seals reveal the use of mankind as the hammer to bring death and destruction over the entire earth, leading into Divine judgment and the unleashing of demonic forces designed for nothing else, but to enact vengeance on a God rejecting world, and the only source of salvation, found in Jesus Christ our Lord. We have come to the chapter that I have spoken of in past messages, that divides the Tribulation from the coming Great Tribulation, as now the Abomination who Causeth desolation will be revealed quickly in the next chapters. But here God focuses our attention on the actors in this spiritual drama that is being playing out in the physical world. Many believe that this chapter appears to somehow be out of place, but here God reveals what His plan is for the people who are His chosen from ancient times and God will purge them as silver is refined in the fire. 3 "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. 5 And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts. 6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." (Malachi 3:3-6) But let us work our way through this chapter and see what God is trying to reveal to us for the coming time known as "Jacob's Trouble". SIGN OF A WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN Looking at the first verses that begins this chapter..we know that in Genesis, Jacob clearly understood that he was the sun, his wife was the moon, and his twelve children were the stars, as Joseph had a dream. 8 "And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. 9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? 11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying." (Genesis 37:8-11) This is the root of the nation of Israel. In Revelation, these symbols are used for two reasons. One is to signify the root of the woman portrayed there, that she is Israel: the sun, moon, & stars-Jacob, Rachel, and the twelve sons. But the sun, moon, and stars also have a secondary meaning: to indicate glory. She is a glorious woman-one that can be associated with the glorious things in the heaven-the sun, moon, and stars. Note this allusion to glory because, as God is looking at Israel at this time-that is, in the prophetic sense, in the time within the prophecies-Israel is glorious. Israel's beginning was glorious-glorious as the heavenly bodies. Israel's end will be just as glorious, because of the promise made to the fathers of Israel, not because of anything they have done, but because of God's Holy Name and His promises to Israel. God fulfills His Word. Some denominations erroneously try to paint this as the church, but that is replacement theology and as Paul told us in Romans: 17 "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." (Romans 11:17-25) Here the apostle Paul reveals that Israel has been set aside till the "fullness of the Gentiles be come in", then the focus of God's attention will be turned completely on the redemption of Israel. She has not been replaced by anybody or by any Church, or the Bride of Christ. God's Holy Spirit has been working with the church for nigh 2000 years and when the body of Christ is completed, then Israel will be brought to bear and as Paul told us in the same chapter. 26 " And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Romans 11:26-29) The Roman Catholic Church tries to make it appear that this is Mary and she is pictured here as the "Queen of Heaven. It is common in Roman Catholic art to represent Mary as standing on a crescent moon with twelve stars around her head. As this cannot be, as the woman is revealed to be in pain, which is a sign of the persecution that Israel faced during the Roman occupation and oppression. v. 2 of this chapter. I make no apology when I say that Replacement Theology is a lie of the adversary, designed to those who believe such a lie, to forsake Israel and her rightful place according to the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not for their sake, but for God's Holy Name, as God keeps His promises. The woman has been identified as Israel, even if others try to distort who she really is, and as the first player in this future drama that is part of the coming tribulation. Then we have the next player in this drama in the next verses. 3" And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born."( Revelation 12:3-4) Clearly,this is a sign of old "slewfoot" that in ancient times, even before mankind, drew a third of the angelic host in rebellion against God and was cast to the earth in judgment for his rebellion. Satan is pictured as a great red dragon who has tirelessly waged war against the children of Israel in an effort to usurp the plan of God and prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy at the Garden of Eden: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15) Here the prophecy of the coming Messiah was proclaimed by God, and Satan has attempted to thwart God's plan from the very beginning. He hates mankind as they were made in the glory and image of God and given dominion over the earth, instead of giving it to Satan, (Lucifer in the beginning) and his pride just could not stand it. The adversary stands before the woman waiting to devour her child upon it being born. Of course, this is not literally a dragon, but a symbol of the nature of this fallen cherub who was once an ark angel. His description "symbolically suggests his fierce power and murderous nature . . . a picture of the fullness of evil in all its hideous strength. Seven diadems on his heads: This dragon had great power (seven heads and ten horns) and claimed royal authority (seven diadems). The crowns represent his presumptive claims of royal authority against the true King. He wants to be considered a king. From the similar description given in 13:1 and the parallel references in Daniel 7:7-8, it is clear that the revived Roman Empire is in view . . . The seven heads and ten horns refer to the original ten kingdoms of which three were subdued by the little horn of Daniel 7:8, who is to be identified with the world ruler of the great tribulation who reigns over this revived Roman Empire. WHO IS THE CHILD THAT IS BORN? There have been various interpretations of who this child being born in verse 4. From reading the passage in a literal sense, we know that Israel was the nation that produced the Messiah, so is this Jesus who the adversary is waiting to devour? We know that when Jesus was born, that Herod made an evil attempt to have the infant Jesus killed, thereby slaying every male child of two years and younger, as the wise men came to a house and gave gifts to a child, not an infant, so Jesus was about two years old when Herod destroyed the Hebrew babies that were born in Bethlehem at this time. I also have heard interpretations that this is the heavenly Jerusalem as well as Israel, noted by this woman and gives birth to the Church, as she has been "in utero" as Jesus said that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, but we must be "born again"...When the church was formed at Pentecost, she was not "born" but she was conceived and as a woman carries a baby to term of approximately 9 months. So has the True Church of the Living God, we have been growing as a body of Christ for the last two thousand years. If this is speaking of a dual prophecy of the church and of Christ, we are part of Christ, as we are His body, and He is the head of the Church. Some believe this is a reference to the church being born and raptured to the throne room of God. Which would be a connection between this verse and the beginning of chapter 4 when the 24 elders are seen in the throne room of God. Satan wishes to destroy the church, just as much as he wanted to destroy the child Jesus and had murdered many innocent children in the process. "She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne." Clearly this is a description of our Lord and Savior,as a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: Clearly, this refers to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He rules the world with a rod of iron (Psalm 2 and Revelation 19:15). But coming back to the duality of this prophecy, the Church is also designed to rule the nations, right along with Jesus Christ. We will be His Kings and Priest and each of us will be given a portion of that rule. As Jesus was caught up to God the Father by ascending to His right Hand, so we will also be caught up to the throne room of God at the rapture of the church, to reign and rule with Jesus Christ for a 1000 years. This was confirmed in chapter 5 of this apocalyptic book. 9 "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:9-10) Do you see the parallel here? It is a duality of prophecy that pertains to Jesus Christ, but could also pertain to the Church that is born from the New Jerusalem that we are abiding in Her Womb at the present waiting to be born. I believe John is speaking of both. ISRAEL, THE WOMAN FLEES BEFORE THE DRAGON 6 "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."( Revelation 12:6-9) Another duality of prophecy is spoken of in these verses, as this has happened to Israel before in 70 AD, when the Temple was destroyed by General Titus who later was to become emperor of Rome. The time of the destruction of the nation of Israel began approximately in 66 AD, and continued until about 72 AD with the Temple being destroyed during that time. The historian Eusebius wrote about these dreadful events. He wrote around AD325, amazingly close to those events, and with the extensive records of Josephus to draw upon. He wrote: "For the Jews after the ascension of our Savior, in addition to their crime against Him, had been devising as many plots as they could against his apostles. First Stephen was stoned to death by them, and after him James, the son of Zebedee and the brother of John, was beheaded, and finally James, the first that had obtained the episcopal seat in Jerusalem after the ascension of our Savior, died in the manner already described. But the rest of the apostles, who had been incessantly plotted against with a view to their destruction, and had been driven out of the land of Judea, went unto all nations to preach the Gospel, relying upon the power of Christ, who had said to them, Go and make disciples of all the nations in my name. But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called Pella. And when those that believed in Christ had come there from Jerusalem, then, as if the royal city of the Jews and the whole land of Judea were entirely destitute of holy men, the judgment of God at length overtook those who had committed such outrages against Christ and his apostles, and totally destroyed that generation of impious men. But the number of calamities which everywhere fell upon the nation at that time; the extreme misfortunes to which the inhabitants of Judea were especially subjected, the thousands of men, as well as women and children, that perished by the sword, by famine, and by other forms of death innumerable-all these things, as well as the many great sieges which were carried on against the cities of Judea, and the excessive sufferings endured by those that fled to Jerusalem itself, as to a city of perfect safety, and finally the general course of the whole war, as well as its particular occurrences in detail, and how at last the abomination of desolation, proclaimed by the prophets, Daniel 9:27 stood in the very temple of God, so celebrated of old, the temple which was now awaiting its total and final destruction by fire - all these things any one that wishes may find accurately described in the history written by Josephus." Here in this passage we see the exact thing happening again, as the woman, Israel comprised of those who believe the message of the Gospel, (possibly from the two witnesses, or the 144,000 Jewish evangelist who proclaim what Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24) 15 "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 7 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:15-22) This whole chapter of Matthew 24 is directed squarely as a warning to Israel, and also repeated here in Revelation chapter 12. A remnant of Israel will see the abomination that causeth desolation, that Jesus warned of and will believe the Gospel, and take warning and flee to the mountain fortress of Petra in the Jordanian wilderness. Many make the mistake to interpret this chapter written to the Church, but the focus is obviously Israel, as Jesus was speaking of Jews in the future, as He spoke to Jews in the present time. The Church will not flee to the Jordanian wilderness, or worry about a Sabbath day's journey, or wonder how to flee in winter, as it gets cold even in Israel as it does in the Midwest. Jesus warned the Jewish people, that when they see the Abomination that causeth desolation, to run for the hills, and run for their lives, as this evil last dictator will attempt to destroy them all. In this passage of verse 9, Satan and His demons are cast out of heaven where they have had the ability to come and go from heaven to the earth. Now they are imprisoned on the earth, and Satan know he has but a short time and he becomes frantic and seeks anyway he can devise to destroy Israel and make God out a liar. But a remnant of those of Jewish ancestry have escaped to Petra and Satan will pursue them. HEAVEN REJOICES All of heaven shouts with joy as they know that Satan and the evil committed on the earth is destined to end very shortly. 10" And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:10-11) The accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down: Satan's work of accusing only ends here, when he is cast out from his access to heaven. Remember the story of Job? Today, we have (and need) an intercessor and advocate (Hebrews 7:25 and 1st John 2:1) Verse 11 remembers the many martyrs for the cause of Christ down through the ages, at the hands of the Roman Empire and the "holy Roman Empire" (sic), as there was nothing holy about her. This continues even today all over the world, into the Middle East, Africa, China, and other nations of the far east, and even to Europe. It has not reached America just yet, but it may before this is all over. Christians will be killed world wide that do not take the coming "Mark of the Beast" and especially anyone who is Jewish. THE EARTH HELPS THE WOMAN 13 "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth." (Revelation 12:13-16) What are we to make of these set of verses? The woman runs for her very life, or the lives of every Jewish person who escapes to the mountain fortress of Petra, much as they did in 70 AD. You see metaphor after metaphor, of a great eagle that takes her into the wilderness and she is nourished for a time, times and half a time. This would be 3.5 years, which would be the sum total of the Great Tribulation. She will be sustained and nourished by Divine intervention. And this verse that says that the earth opened her mouth and swallowed some flood that the dragon cast out of his mouth. ?? Eagle's Wings are an emblem from the Exodus deliverance (Exodus 19:4), another way of connecting these people with Israel. Some have wondered if the reference to the two wings of a great eagle do not in fact describe a great military transport plane used to evacuate people in an emergency situation. That is a theory, but however they are swiftly taken, God will provide. This passage also describes God's ultimate protection of Israel from the fury of Satan and his antichrist in the great tribulation. As it says in Isaiah 59:19 , "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him." Why does Satan attack the Jewish people? As it looks like they are the ones who are fleeing, and those who Jesus mentioned that they should flee, hoping that it wasn't on a Sabbath, or women who give suck, or the cold of winter that prevents them from traveling at a fast pace. This is a question for all history, not only for the Great Tribulation. The reason is because from the time of Abraham, Israel holds a critical role in God's plan of redemption. First, it was in bringing forth the Messiah and Redeemer. Then, it was in the fulfillment of His plan, because Jesus promised that the Jewish people would exist and welcome Him when He returns in glory to this world (Matthew 23:39). If Satan succeeds in destroying the Jewish people, then God's eternal plan is in some way thwarted. As mentioned, some try to make those who flee into the Petra fortress as Jews and the Church that is somehow still here, but note what is said in verse 17. 17 "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Revelation 12:17) But if the woman represents all the people of God (the church and faithful Israel), then who are the rest of her offspring described in verse 17? It is best to see her as Israel in general or Messianic Jews in particular. SATAN COMES AGAINST SECULAR JEWS Satan has been defeated in the ability to harm those who belong to God and he comes after a remnant of her seed. What seed? Those who have not been able to escape, or that didn't believe the two witnesses and their preaching. It was as it was in 70 AD, and history is repeating itself. I have preached for some time, that the Tribulation is designed for two things only. 1. the refinement of Israel is as silver in a hot furnace to remove the impurities within her and prepare her to receive her Messiah (Malachi 3:3)...our Messiah that saved a people who were not His people, but Israel are His people, and God will fight for them, as we will see in future chapters. 2. God will destroy all rebellion on this earth and wiping it totally clean of all unrighteousness and lawlessness, making this earth to become again like the Garden of Eden for a 1000 years before He finally creates a New Heaven and a new earth. I want each of you to see the commonality of events that presents itself in this chapter and every chapter that God reveals to those who seek His Truth found in this revelation. God will destroy all mankind on this earth who don't accept His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Along with it, the Anti-Christ will be hunting down all who do not worship him or take his mark. Even if you are not Jewish (as they will be marked for extermination), you will be hunted down because you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior,and my friend, it will cost you your life in martyrdom, and the suffering of your family and friends, whatever is left to be family or friends. Otherwise, you will succumb to the coming Mark of the Beast and be doomed for all eternity, as it is spoken of in Revelation chapter 14, v. 9-11. Revelation is a continued warning to all who will listen that a time is coming that no one wants to live or go through if they only knew what the time will produce for all who are still here. As mentioned numerous times, the Church is being judged now, and we "are not appointed to wrath", so to place the church in the middle of being refined or martyrdom is to say that the blood of Jesus was just not quite good enough to save us utterly. That doctrine is found in Catholic purgatory and is not found in the Bible anywhere. I throw you a life line, His name is Jesus Christ. He is the only One who will keep you from this coming time and He wants to save all men, not willing that any should perish. Will you accept this free gift of His mercy and grace found in his death, burial and resurrection? It is oh, so simple a child can do it. There are many places that speak of this act of faith, but there are two passages that brought me as a child to the knowledge of my need for a Savior and I understood it as a child, then you can too. 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18) 8 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." (Romans 10:8-11) See? I told you it was simple...believe in your heart the above verses, repent, and ask Jesus to come into your life as Lord and your example of how to live. Then confess to others, your family, your friends, or your co-workers, and you shall be saved...it's that simple...Make that decision for Jesus Christ this side of the Tribulation, while you still can.. This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying for your salvation through faith in Jesus. If you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly, listening ear, email me at [email protected] , or visit me online for more biblical messages of Jesus Christ as Lord. God bless you all... TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET...............SOON! Tenth of Tevet: The Seeds of Messiah Planted in the UN Jerusalem Vote - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/100072/tenth-tevet-seeds-messiah-planted-un-jerusalem-vote/#ZYbquyG3F4Pcf4Cq.99 "Thus said God of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth month, the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month shall become occasions for joy and gladness, happy festivals for the House of Yehuda; but you must love honesty and integrity." Zechariah 8:19 (The Israel Bible™) The Tenth of Tevet, a fast day that began Thursday morning, commemorates the beginning of the Greek siege of Jerusalem, an event one rabbi sees mirrored in the hateful United Nations vote last week that attempted to isolate Jerusalem from the world. In the spirit of one of the most venerated sages in Jewish history, this rabbi sees the UN vote as proof that the Third Temple will rise again. On the tenth of Tevet in the year 3336 (425 BCE), the armies of the Babylonian Emperor Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. This began the three-year process that led to the destruction of Solomon's Temple and the Babylonian Exile lasting 70 years. To commemorate the day, Jews observe a day of fasting, mourning, and repentance. The fast begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf, an award-winning author and teacher for the Yeshiva of the Nations, sees the United Nations General Assembly vote last Thursday as a replay of an event recorded in the Talmud. "It is fitting that what happened at the UN should happen now, since it was basically an attempt by the enemies of Israel to put Jerusalem under siege, to isolate the city, just as the Greeks did," Rabbi Apisdorf told Breaking Israel News. "But the seeds of Messiah were hidden, planted in the destruction of the Temple." Rabbi Apisdorf referred to a story in the Talmud in which a group of rabbis, including Rabbi Akiva, one of the most revered scholars in the history of Judaism, went up to the Temple Mount after the destruction of the Temple. The rabbis were dismayed at the scene and performed the mitzvah (commandment) of tearing their clothes upon seeing the destruction. Rabbi Akiva, on the other hand, laughed when he saw a fox, an impure animal, running through the ruins of the Holy of Holies. Rabbi Akiva explained that he had laughed because of two prophecies. Therefore shall Tzion for your sake be plowed as a field and Yerushalayim shall become heaps and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. Micah 3:12 Rabbi Akiva stated that since the first prophecy had come to pass, as evidenced by the fox running through the ruined Temple, the later prophecies concerning the Temple could now also come to pass. Thus saith Hashem of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women sit in the broad places of Yerushalayim every man with his staff in his hand for very age. Zechariah 8:4 "This seems like a blow to Israel, but what is really happening is that the world is focused on the relationship of the Jewish people to Jerusalem, and only good things can come out of that," Rabbi Apisdorf said. "People who can't handle that are going crazy but people who have been waiting for precisely that are now beginning to unite around Jerusalem." An additional reason given for fasting on the Tenth of Tevet is to commemorate when, in the third century, King Ptolemy ordered 72 Jewish elders to translate the Torah into Greek. The translation was completed on the tenth of Tevet. Rabbi Avraham Arieh Trugman, director of Ohr Chadash Torah Institute, explained why the translation of Torah into Greek is an occasion for fasting, emphasizing that the Greek intention for the translation was not to spread Torah but to degrade it from a divine text into mere literature. "Since the time of Abraham, who dedicated his life to spreading the knowledge of one God, and from the time of the Prophets who expressed the first universal vision of mankind, spreading the Torah to the whole world is a reason to celebrate," Rabbi Trugman explained to Breaking Israel News. Rabbi Trugman emphasized his point by citing Deuteronomy. As soon as you have crossed the Yarden into the land that Hashem your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones. Coat them with plaster and inscribe upon them all the words of this Teaching. When you cross over to enter the land that Hashem your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Hashem, the God of your fathers, promised you Deuteronomy 27:2-3 Rabbi Trugman explained that according to midrash (homiletical tradition), the Torah was inscribed on these stones in 70 languages so all the nations of the world could understand and learn, showing that translating the Torah is an imperative for the purpose of teaching the nations. "But the [Greek translation] was something entirely different," Rabbi Trugman said. "When they translated the Torah into Greek, the direction of the writing was reversed. Hebrew is written from right to left, the opposite of Greek. For us, the wisdom of the Torah comes from a higher place than human intellect; it flows down from above, which in Jewish tradition is symbolized by going from right to left." Rabbi Trugman emphasized that the difference between the Biblically-mandated translation and the septuagint (the Greek translation) were the very different intentions behind them. "What the Greeks wanted to do was to reverse that, to turn the Torah into nothing more than literature, a product of human intellect that is not divine, not a product of prophecy," Rabbi Trugman said. "In order to rectify this day, we need to learn to 'translate' the Torah into a language that the whole world can understand but with the intention that it is divine," the rabbi continued. "This is an essential part of building the Third Temple in the Messianic era. "The destruction of the First Temple postponed the dream described by King Solomon when he dedicated the First Temple that it should be a place for all peoples to come together and unify under the banner of One God." That destruction, he said, delayed the dream of spreading Torah for millenium. "Now is the time that we need to recapture that original vision," Rabbi Trugman urged. The End Game - Jack Kelley - https://gracethrufaith.com/my-thoughts/the-end-game/ Note: Jack originally wrote this to give us perspective after the 2008 recession. His message here is such a wonderful way to begin the year, so I've edited parts to make it timeless. Here are Jack's thoughts on the 5 things we should do to begin each New Year. ~Happy New Year! Samantha The world will be filled with ups and downs and uncertainty until the rapture. But as Christians, we don't have to wonder what to do. There are a few steps we can take right now to make sure this year will be better for us than last year. I hesitate to call them New Year's resolutions because we all know how long those last. But since we're all more favorably disposed to start fresh at the beginning of the year, here are some things we can do now to ensure a better time ahead. 1. Stop Worrying: Matt. 6:33-34. Seek the Lord's righteousness and His Kingdom in everything you do and let Him do the rest. Stop working to make ends meet, and start doing whatever you do for the Glory of God (1Cor. 10:31). Start living in faith that the One who has never deceived you will meet your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19) 2. Store Up Treasure In Heaven: Matt. 6:19-21. Start performing random acts of kindness in the Lord's name. Become a light in this dark place. It doesn't take much, and all you're asked to do is what you can. I don't care where you go to church, there's someone in the room with you who urgently needs help. The soup kitchens, food banks, and emergency shelters have constant needs as well. Find a place where the Lord's working and pitch in. Everyone in need is your neighbor (Luke 10:29-37). Be a good neighbor. 3. Increase Your Giving: Luke 6:38. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but that's because our fallen nature gives us a scarcity mentality. We want to hang on tighter when we don't have as much, forgetting that the Lord uses the same measure in blessing us as we use in blessing others. As a result just as we need more blessing, we get stingier. He has unlimited wealth and will share it with us to the same degree that we share ours with others. 4. Keep Things In Perspective: 1 Cor. 10:13. Just about everyone has lost something. And no matter what you are experiencing now, there's a good chance there are people you know who have experienced worse. 5. Make A Joyful Noise: Psalm 100. There are plenty of folks experiencing hard times. Rejoice in all things. Let your gentleness be evident to all. We think that peace brings joy, but the opposite is true. Joy brings peace. (Phil 4:4-7) For us this isn't just a temporary strategy to help us survive until things get better on earth. It's our End Game. It's best to assume that things aren't going to get better until that soon coming day when we suddenly disappear with out a trace. Doing these five things now will bring us a Happy New Year this year and beyond. Plus it will also ensure that we have an eternity of happiness later. These are my thoughts on 01-01-09 Happy New Day - Nathele Graham - [email protected] Happy New Year. That's a phrase that we'll be hearing a lot over the next few weeks. If you really stop to think about it, that's a lot to ask. Is it possible to have a whole year of happiness? It's a nice sentiment but there's a good chance that there will be things during this coming year that aren't happy at all. Perhaps your marriage will hit bumpy times or maybe you've worked for years at a job but suddenly the company is downsizing and you're job is in jeopardy. What then? These things aren't things that make up a happy new year. Instead of wishing to be happy for the entire year, it might be better to resolve to take life on a day by day basis. "It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." Lamentations 3:22-26. Every single day the Lord is faithful and our hope is in Him. Hope doesn't mean that you cross your fingers wanting something to happen. Instead, hoping in the Lord means to rest assured that He is faithful and will see you through everything that comes your way. Each day is filled with choices. Do I choose to sin or do I choose to follow God's word. If you choose sin for that day then you choose to not have a happy day. We can look back into Biblical history and see from the experiences of the heroes of old that they were much happier when they chose to follow God. For instance, the Israelites chose to not trust God and enter the Promised Land and that caused them to wander for 40 years in the wilderness. After Joshua finally led the Israelites into the land God had promised them he told the tribes of Israel that they had a choice to make. They could serve heathen gods or they could follow the one true God. "Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:14-15. Joshua made the right choice and led his family in the right path. He said "... choose you this day whom ye will serve" and we need to make that choice daily too. If you choose to serve the pagan gods which are demons, then you choose to be against God. Whatever pleasure you may think you find in sin it's always temporary and only brings heartache. Sin comes from Satan and his demonic horde and you can find no way to have a happy day or year by serving pagan gods. Looking at what others have can cause you to be unhappy with what you have. Every day will be happier if you choose to thank God for what He has provided for you instead of envying what others have. Envy isn't a new problem for people. Asaph, who wrote many psalms, said he was envious of others who seemed wicked but who also prospered. "But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." Psalm 73:2-3. There will always be someone who seems to have more than you. It's easy to be unhappy when we dwell upon what others have, or seem to have. Does someone have a big, beautiful house while you live in a small cottage? They also have a big, beautiful mortgage. The same goes for a fancy car or other material possessions. Happiness comes when you're content with what God provides for you each day. That doesn't mean that you can't have a nice house or car, but allow God to provide rather than running ahead of Him and getting yourself in debt. God will always see that you have the means for you to afford what He provides. Asaph was envious of others "Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end." Psalm 73:17. The wicked people around us may have worldly possessions, but that's where their treasure is; they don't have salvation. Asaph knew how to find peace with what God had given to him rather than looking at what wicked people seemed to have. The Holy Spirit indwells Christians and it's easy for us to talk to Him every day. Tell Him about your concerns but be sure to listen to what He wants for you. You'll be much happier day by day if you live within God's will for you. "Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory...My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Psalm 73:23-24 &26. It's also important to thank Him for what He has provided, including your salvation. When you're thankful for His daily provision for you, you'll find that you're content. Problems will always come along, but we need to choose to be content in the Lord. Even Paul had bad days. He was beaten, jailed, ship wrecked, and faced many other problems. He had some unhappy days, but he didn't trust in his own strength. "For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: but we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead" 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. Paul knew where his strength was and even when his life came to the point of despair, he looked to God. If you're down and feel despair, talk to God. You can also talk to someone who loves you. God has given us family and Christian friends to talk to about problems. He gave us voices to talk with and arms to hug with. Why, then, do so many people opt to get advice from Facebook or other social media? When I was young my mother was my best friend; I could talk to her about anything and everything. She was also a devout Christian so when she gave me advice it was based upon God's word. Today many people take to social media and are given (and give) all kinds of ungodly advice. Feelings are put out for the public to see and then emotions spiral downward. This causes all kinds of unhappiness on a daily basis. Why not choose to either get off of Facebook or instead of posting "Oh poor me", maybe look back on your day and post about how faithful God was to see you through. If you do that every day you can look back at the end of the year and see that each day offered something to be thankful for and happy about. Instead of being pessimistic about having an empty glass, see the promise of fresh water. "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he." Proverbs 16:20. For the Christian, faith will carry us through the good days, bad days, and into eternity. Although life can throw some problems our way, the Lord is there for us to lean on. Every day when we wake up our prayer should be that we will glorify God in all things and that we'll see His guidance in our life. A happy new year is made up of 365 contented days. Let God be your daily source of happiness and you cannot go wrong. God bless you all, Nathele Graham [email protected] www.straitandnarrowministry.com [email protected] Ron and Nathele Graham's previous commentaries archived at http://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html All original scripture is "theopneustos" God breathed. If you'd like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know. Daily Jot: My Fiery Christmas memory - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com As many of you know, I grew up on our family farm in Northeastern Ohio. It was part of a land grant in payment to my grandfather seven generations back for fighting in the Revolutionary War. At the time my grandfather sent two of his sons to claim the land, it was wilderness, the most western part of the new America, and most certainly Indian country. They had to carve out their inheritance while defending themselves and learning how to farm fertile, but rather low land. The house they built was a sturdy two room structure with a loft above, with two-inch planks pegged together as walls and large beams, also pegged together, held the house up over the crude cellar. The house was added on to in 1840. The entire farm was handed down from Wilson to Wilson from around 1800 till even today, when my son will take over the property. We all were raised on this farm since then. When my father went on to be with the Lord in 1989, my mother continued living at the farm until she was unable to do so and moved in to our Maryland home. During those times before, we would pack up the family and "go home" for Christmas. Sometimes, my mother didn't make the best decisions at Christmas time, especially since it was my dad's birthday, and the anniversary of his death was just a few days after my mother's birthday, also in December. Mother, however, never wanted to admit that her decisions might not be the best. We were finished opening presents and all the paper from the gifts was stuffed into a couple of trash bags. There was no garbage pick up at the farm. We burned everything in an old sawed-off 50 gallon drum out about 30 feet from the milk house. Now this drum was old and had charred and rusted down to about half its height. On this Christmas morning, the wind was blowing pretty hard and there was no snow on the ground. I protested that it was not a good idea to burn these wrappings, but mom insisted--she was a neat-kin to the max and didn't want the trash in her house another second. So I reluctantly complied. I set the wrappings on fire and soon they blew all over the pasture, setting tiny fires as they landed. These tiny fires grew into bigger fires and soon about half an acre of pasture was on fire with the wind shifting toward the barns. I was fighting the fire with a shovel and an old gunny sack while everyone else was in the house enjoying the morning, unaware of the fiasco outside. I finally prevailed over the fire. I came in the house with smoky clothes, smudges on my face, arms and hands, and my eyebrows were singed. My mother calmly sat across the kitchen table and without any hesitation said, "You shouldn't have burned that trash with that wind blowing like it was." Ephesians 6:2,3 says, "Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth." You can, if you survive the fires <wink>. Daily Devotion: Created for a Purpose - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. -Psalm 16:11 The big question we all need to ask ourselves is, "Why am I here on this earth?" If we don't have the answer to this one figured out, then we'll be in trouble. We are here to know and glorify God and bring forth spiritual fruit. We were created to bring glory to God. We were created to honor God. We were created to bring pleasure to God. The problem is that some people live for their own pleasure. God has given each of us something. He has graciously given each of us a life, a time span for us to occupy. Now here's the twist. We don't know what the duration will be. We assume our lives will be long. We plan on it. But we actually don't know how long we will live. That is entirely up to God. And that is why we don't want to put off anything spiritual for another day. We want to take care of it now, because there is no time to waste. The Bible even tells us that in the last days, people will be "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 3:4). Here is the problem with that. We never will find pleasure when we chase after pleasure. But if we fulfill the pleasure for which God created us, which is to know Him and to glorify Him, then we will experience pleasure-not the illicit pleasure this world offers but legitimate, godly, holy pleasure as we walk with God. The result is that we will bring forth spiritual fruit as people see the evidence of Christ working in us, as they see the Lord in our lives and are attracted to Him. Is this true of you? Are you fulfilling God's purpose for your life? FROM THE HEART
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